# 1990 NAIA Division I football season

The 1990 NAIA Division I football season was the 35th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, and was the 21st season of play of the NAIA's top division for football.
The season was played from August to November 1990 and culminated in the 1990 NAIA Champion Bowl playoffs and the 1990 NAIA Champion Bowl, played this year on December 8, 1990 at Ralph Stocker Stadium in Grand Junction, Colorado, on the campus of Mesa State College.
The Central State Marauders defeated the Mesa State Mavericks in the Champion Bowl, 38–16, to win their first NAIA national title. The Marauders won the championship after winning all three games on the road.

## Conference changes

* This is the final season that the NAIA officially recognizes a football champion from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The RMAC, and its five football-playing members, would become an NCAA Division II conference by the 1992 season.

## Conference standings

1990 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings :
| 1990 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Central Arkansas $^ 6 –0 –08 –4 –0 Henderson State 4 –2 –06 –3 –1 No. 18 Ouachita Baptist 4 –2 –05 –4 –0 No. 10 Southern Arkansas 3 –3 –08 –3 –1 No. 15 Harding 3 –3 –06 –4 –0 Arkansas–Monticello 1 –5 –05 –5 –0 Arkansas Tech 0 –6 –04 –6 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1990 Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Northeastern State $^ 4 –0 –07 –3 –1 No. T–12 NW Oklahoma State 3 –1 –06 –4 –0 SE Oklahoma State 2 –2 –04 –4 –1 SW Oklahoma State 1 –3 –05 –5 –0 East Central 0 –4 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1990 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T Minnesota Duluth + 5 –1 –09 –1 –1 No. 5 Southwest State (MN) +^ 5 –1 –08 –3 –0 No. 9 Northern State + 5 –1 –07 –4 –0 No. 19 Moorhead State 3 –3 –05 –5 –0 Minnesota Morris 2 –4 –04 –7 –0 Winona State 1 –5 –02 –9 –0 Bemidji State 0 –6 –01 –10 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1990 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Mesa State $^ 4 –0 –08 –4 –0 Adams State 3 –1 –05 –4 –0 Colorado Mines 1 –3 –05 –5 –0 Western State (CO) 1 –3 –03 –7 –0 Fort Lewis 1 –3 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1990 South Atlantic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Carson–Newman $^ 7 –0 –011 –1 –0 Catawba 5 –2 –05 –6 –0 No. 16 Lenoir–Rhyne 4 –3 –06 –5 –0 No. 17 Wingate 3 –4 –06 –4 –0 Elon 3 –4 –05 –6 –0 Mars Hill 2 –5 –04 –7 –0 Gardner–Webb 2 –5 –02 –8 –0 Presbyterian 2 –5 –02 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1990 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. T–12 Concord $ 5 –1 –06 –4 –0 No. 11 Shepherd 4 –1 –16 –3 –1 No. 20 Fairmont State 4 –1 –15 –4 –1 West Virginia State 3 –3 –04 –6 –0 West Virginia Tech 2 –4 –03 –7 –0 West Liberty State 1 –5 –04 –6 –0 Glenville State 1 –5 –01 –7 –1 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1990 NAIA Division I independents football records vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Central State (OH) ^   –  10 –1 –0 Arkansas–Pine Bluff   –  9 –1 –0 No. 3 Western New Mexico ^   –  8 –2 –0 No. 8 Fort Hays State ^   –  8 –4 –0 No. 14 Emporia State   –  6 –4 –0 West Virginia Wesleyan   –  5 –5 –0 Langston   –  4 –5 –0 ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll |

## Conference champions

| Conference | Champion | Record |
| Arkansas Intercollegiate | Central Arkansas | 6—0 |
| NIC | Northern State (SD) Southwest State (MN) | 5–1 |
| Oklahoma | Northeastern State | 4–0 |
| RMAC | Mesa State | 4–0 |
| South Atlantic | Carson–Newman | 7–0 |
| WVIAC | Concord (WV) | 5–1 |

## Rankings

Final NAIA Division I poll rankings:
| Rank | Team (first place votes) | Record (thru Nov. 11) | Points |
| 1 | Carson–Newman (13) | 10–0 | 237 |
| 2 | Central State (OH) (1) | 7–1 | 266 |
| 3 | Western New Mexico | 8–1 | 247 |
| 4 | Central Arkansas | 7–3 | 224 |
| 5 | Southwest State (MN) | 8–2 | 216 |
| 6 | Mesa State | 6–3 | 213 |
| 7 | Northeastern State | 7–2–1 | 209 |
| 8 | Fort Hays State | 8–3 | 185 |
| 9 | Northern State | 7–3 | 155 |
| 10 | Southern Arkansas | 7–3–1 | 141 |
| 11 | Shepherd | 6–3–1 | 127 |
| T–12 | Concord | 6–4 | 117 |
| T–12 | Northwestern Oklahoma State | 6–4 | 117 |
| 14 | Emporia State | 6–4 | 105 |
| 15 | Harding | 6–4 | 74 |
| 16 | Lenoir–Rhyne | 6–5 | 59 |
| 17 | Wingate | 6–4 | 46 |
| 18 | Ouachita Baptist | 5–4 | 44 |
| 19 | Moorhead State | 5–4 | 41 |
| 20 | Fairmont State | 5–4–1 | 35 |

## Postseason

| Quarterfinals November 17, 1990 Campus sites | Quarterfinals November 17, 1990 Campus sites | Quarterfinals November 17, 1990 Campus sites | Semifinals December 1, 1990 Campus sites | Semifinals December 1, 1990 Campus sites | Semifinals December 1, 1990 Campus sites | 1990 Champion Bowl December 8, 1990 Grand Junction, CO | 1990 Champion Bowl December 8, 1990 Grand Junction, CO | 1990 Champion Bowl December 8, 1990 Grand Junction, CO |
| Central State (OH) | Central State (OH) | 48 | | | | | | |
| Fort Hays State* | Fort Hays State* | 10 | | | | | | |
| Fort Hays State* | Fort Hays State* | 10 | Central State (OH) | Central State (OH) | 41 | | | |
| | | | Carson–Newman* | Carson–Newman* | 14 | | | |
| Southwest State (MN) | Southwest State (MN) | 6 | Carson–Newman* | Carson–Newman* | 14 | | | |
| Carson–Newman* | Carson–Newman* | 35 | | | | | | |
| Carson–Newman* | Carson–Newman* | 35 | | | | Central State (OH) | Central State (OH) | 38 |
| | | | | | | Mesa State* | Mesa State* | 16 |
| Western New Mexico | Western New Mexico | 30 | | | | | | | Mesa State* | Mesa State* | 16 |
| Mesa State* | Mesa State* | 37 | | | | | | |
| Mesa State* | Mesa State* | 37 | Mesa State* | Mesa State* | 10 | | | |
| | | | Central Arkansas | Central Arkansas | 9 | | | |
| Northeastern State | Northeastern State | 14 | Central Arkansas | Central Arkansas | 9 | | | |
| Central Arkansas* | Central Arkansas* | 26 | | | | | | |